Bank queue quandary ends in assault

"Life doesn't work that way." Judge Jim Large

The building impatience of waiting in a queue can fray almost anyone’s nerves, but not many respond the same way as Jeffery Paul Marshall.

Marshall, 53, who once caused an armed offenders squad incident by waving a samurai sword at police, took out his frustration by assaulting a bank staff member.

He pleaded guilty in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday to the assault, which took place in ASB Bank in The Plaza shopping mall.

People noticed him becoming agitated on the morning of November 28 while waiting in line.

He started swearing about waiting too long, prompting a staff member to speak to him about his language.

Marshall responded by getting in the staff member’s face, saying he could speak however he wanted, and pushing the staff member in the chest.

He was later arrested, and told police he was angry about waiting.

Defence lawyer Esme Killeen said Marshall had a ‘‘colourful’’ criminal history, going back to when he was 15 years old, but his offending had slowed in recent years.

Marshall’s most notorious offending took place in 2009, when police were called to his home during a domestic argument.

When they arrived, they found him waving a samurai sword above his head.

The armed offenders squad was called and he was arrested.

At the time, he was sleep-deprived from caring for his wife, who had to use a wheelchair.

Killeen said Marshall had cared for his wife wife fulltime before she died in 2017.

The incident in the bank was out of character for him.

‘‘This was the defendant on a bad day,’’ she said.

He had gone to the mall, seen the queue and decided to go for a walk, hoping the queue would go down.

It was still deep when he went back, so he waited in line to do his business, Killeen said.

When he was one back in the queue, the teller put up a sign saying they were going on a break, she said.

Marshall took issue with various parts of the victim impact statement, in which the assaulted staff member said Marshall had been following him around town, Killeen said.

Judge Jim Large said everyone had to learn to wait in queues.

‘‘People in service industries have to put up with pressure from people wanting to be served faster.

‘‘Life doesn’t work that way.’’ Marshall was convicted and ordered to do 40 hours’ community work.